• Putin and Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko spoke at a meeting in Minsk.
• Putin said that Russia’s closest ally was Belarus.
• He also said he hopes the West will “listen to the voice of reason”.

At a meeting in Minsk, neither Vladimir Putin of Russia nor Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus mentioned Ukraine in their public statements.

In a few short words, Putin said that Russia’s closest ally was Belarus. He thought that trade between the two countries would hit a record high of $40 billion this year.

Lukashenko said that even though Belarus and Russia have “some rough edges,” they will find solutions to all threats. He also said that he hopes the West will “listen to the voice of reason” so they can talk about security again.

Russia’s troops are based in Belarus, and they used its land to invade Ukraine for the first time in February. But Lukashenko has done a lot to make sure Belarusian troops don’t join Russia’s “special military operation.”

Also, Russia has strike planes that are based in Belarus.

Lukashenko also talked about economic ties. He said, “Thanks to working together, Russia and Belarus were able to avoid any bad effects of sanctions pressure.”

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